Chereads / Fenris: Journey of the Forgotten / Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Night Run

Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Night Run

At night in a particular forest in the kingdom of Pyros, there was a figure moving at a great speed. If someone were observing it, they may have mistaken it for an animal. It was Fenris on all fours running like an animal.

This was possible due to his human nature, his legs could alter their formation making his knees bend slightly backward, enhancing his agility and speed. 

Running in the forest at night was an almost indescribable feeling for Fenris. The cool night air rushed past him, caressing his skin, and the earthy scent of the forest filled his nostrils.

The moonlight filtering through the canopy created a dappled pattern on the forest floor, guiding his path.

He felt free, truly free, as if he had left all his problems behind. In these moments, nothing else existed but the thrill, the excitement, and the raw power that came with running like a beast under the moonlight.

"Ah, what a rush!", Fenris thought to himself. He had been running for hours now and didn't feel exhausted at all. 

"Okay, time to gain a little altitude", Fenris said. Then he jumped and landed on a tree branch digging his claws into it then leaped into another tree branch from quite a distance.

He did this again and again with no fear, even if he fell he'd sustain no injuries. The ground beneath him seemed to blur as he raced through the trees, each stride carrying him further into the depths of the forest. 

More hours passed, the night sky slowly disappeared, and the moon disappeared.

Fenris landed on the ground, with a look of disappointment on his face, his fun was over.

"Running always makes me hungry, I hope there's a deer nearby", Fenris said. Maybe he should've been concerned he was talking to himself but years traveling alone would do that to a person.

Fenris closed his eyes and focused on his other senses, mostly using his ears to pick up the faintest sound of the forest, hoping to catch the rustle of potential prey.

As he stood there, listening to the forest, his mind wandered back to the feeling of the wind in his hair, the thrill of running like there was no tomorrow and the pure, unadulterated freedom of the night. This was his escape, and he knew he would return to it again and again, as long as the moon hung in the sky. 

Then he heard the rustling of leaves, and something drinking water from a pond, it was light and delicate, a deer!"

"Got you", Fenris said. The sound came west from his direction he headed to it slowly but not too slowly he didn't want to scare off his breakfast, so he hid behind trees and finally spotted it.

A deer with antlers drinking from a pond completely oblivious to his presence. The sun hadn't fully come out yet so it wasn't that bright. In the rays of the early morning sun, the deer looked stunning something too pure to exist in this cruel world, but Fenris had to eat.

Fenris prepared himself, then he ran forward at the deer too quickly for it to react and put the deer in a choke hold, it tried to escape but to no avail then Fenris used his claws to slice its neck. Blood flowed down the deer and Fenris gently laid the deer down letting it die.

The deer was dead a successful morning hunt for the young werewolf. Now Fenris could make a fire and cook his prey like anyone else it may take some time to skin the deer and look for the right wood or ...

Fenris bit down the deer and started consuming it raw.

His fangs made ripping the skin and meat no problem at all. In 20 minutes he was done with a meal all that remained of the deer was its skeleton and its antlers, he could have finished it but there was no need for him to rush.

He got up and continued on his journey. Walking in the forest along a cleared path he took out his to check on his progress.

"Wow I really covered a lot of distance this time, might be a new record for me if I keep walking I'll be there before the end of day", Fenris said

Fenris then recalled what Luna told him about this town, which she had told him about, which was nothing, she told him she grew up there and nothing else.

Fenris, lacking the majority of his memories of his childhood, always pried, but she'd always change the subject, with a smile. Was it really that bad and if it was, what are the chances she would return there? It didn't matter he had nothing else to go on, this was his last clue it had to lead him to her.

Fenris kept walking, from early morning to late night Fenris kept walking then up ahead his saw lights. It was a town, the town he was looking for, he had finally arrived.

Entering the town Fenris was looking for a tavern because he found barkeeps happened to know a lot about a lot especially when it was about the town they worked in, secondly, he needed a place to stay for the night.

Not that he minded staying in the woods at night truth be told he might have preferred it, but not tonight. Tonight he needed to rest properly and ask around about Luna. He entered the tavern and once again there were a couple of bards singing cheerful music.

"Again, What do these people have that makes them so damn happy all the time?", Fenris grunted. Well, maybe it was the fact that they all had normal lives that they weren't hunted since childhood, and that the world didn't want them dead.

Yeah, that's probably the reason. He went to the barkeep and found him to be cleaning a wooden mug. Fenris found every barkeep cleaning a mug, he always found them doing that in every tavern he went to, which made him wonder if the mug was actually dirty or if they all did that to keep up the appearance that they were busy.

"What do you want son?", the barkeep asked, still cleaning the mug. "A room for the night", Fenris answered, dropping a few coins on the table. The barkeep looked at it and he overpaid a little but he wasn't going to tell him that, so he took the coins.

"Upstairs, second door on the right, but the night's still young, have a drink, join the crowd and just so you know there's a pretty girl who's had her eye on you ever since you stepped in her", the barkeep said. 

Fenris didn't even turn around. "Just the room is fine", Fenris said without showing any emotion. He walked upstairs, found the room, and laid on the bed. Well, time for a good night's rest, but he wasn't sleepy, rather he couldn't bring himself to sleep. Two years of searching had brought him here to this town, the birthplace of the friend who had abandoned him.

He tried again not to think about it. If there was nothing to find here he'd be alone, alone in a world that didn't want him to exist, where he had no friends or family.

Before the search for Luna, he had tried finding clues about himself, in the field he woke, where had forgotten everything he had a wooden necklace carved in a wolf shape.

Fenris could've easily dismissed it of having any sentimental importance of having clues to his true identity if it wasn't for a memory, a memory of a woman putting this necklace on his neck saying "I love you".

It was hard to remember the woman's face now after all it had been years since he had that memory but remembered he had it, he remembered the warm feeling he had recalling it just like how he felt when being with Luna, recalling the memory made him feel safe. 

A feeling he hardly felt now, there was a bit of exhaustion in Fenris's eyes not from a physical but rather a mental one. He closed his eyes and dozed off.

Fenris woke up, looking at the window the sun was up and it was bright it looked like afternoon. Was he really that tired or did he subconsciously keep himself in bed knowing what would happen if he found nothing?

He went down to the tavern but not too quickly. When he reached the tavern the barkeep told him, "Well look who's finally up, I was starting to think someone killed you in your sleep", the barkeep said jokingly.

Fenris didn't respond to the comment, the barkeep obviously meant it as a joke but for Fenris who had a lead of people hunting and trying to kill him on numerous occasions, it was from it. He had instances when he had awoken to find his former pack members fighting only to be killed in the process.

"I'm looking for someone, ever heard of a sorceress named Luna, she's a blessed one apparently she's from here?" Fenris asked. "A blessed one HA! Unlikely son if we had one of those they'd always be the talk of the town and we aren't that big so everyone knows everyone. Sorry, but I think you have the wrong town", the barkeep answered.

Fenris was stunned to hear this. Had Luna lied to him why would she do that but then again why would she leave with only a letter? "I can't give up yet, maybe she didn't tell the whole town what she was," Fenris thought.

He exited the tavern and went into town, asking everyone he could describe her features and the fact he was a blessed one.

They all denied ever hearing about her, it seemed like the barkeep was right, a blessed mage would've been known by the entire town. Fenris felt defeated, had the two years he spent looking for her been for nothing?

"Young man, can I have a moment of your time?" a woman asked. Fenris turned around to see a woman in her forties, with dark hair and dark eyes and had a slim figure. Something about her was familiar but he was sure this was the first time he had ever met hair.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversations with the rest of the townsfolk, this 'Luna' could you describe her for me", the woman asked.

"Purple hair, dark eyes, and a robe with crescent moon patterns she's also a blessed one", Fenris answered.

The woman looked away from Fenris showing a distressed look on her face. "I think .... I think she's my daughter", the woman said